colombia earthquake map

Strong earthquake strikes western Colombia, with injuries and damage reported

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck western Colombia Monday, prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.  The epicenter was at San José del Palmar, about 250 miles west of Colombia’s capital, Bogota, the United States Geological Survey and Colombia’s counterpart reported.  The governor of Chocò province, where the quake struck, said in…

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U.S. pledges $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia as new president vows to “defeat narco-terrorism”

The United States pledged $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia after its new right-wing president took office.  Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer with a taste for spectacle, took office Friday for his four-year term after a campaign focused on anger and fears about security. “As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, the…

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Newborn “cocaine hippo” linked to drug lord Pablo Escobar is rescued in Colombia

Authorities in northwestern Colombia said they rescued a newborn hippopotamus found alone by fishermen on the banks of a river and showing signs of malnutrition. Colombia has around 200 so-called “cocaine hippos” living in the wild, according to the Environment Ministry, all of which descended from a colony brought to South America by slain cocaine kingpin…

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